[February 14, 2023, St. Paul, MN]  Minnetonka East Middle School’s Team 1 won the Minnesota Middle School Science Bowl, which was held at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School on February 11. Minnetonka East’s team will advance to the National Science Bowl after edging out 17 other teams from eight middle schools during the competition organized by the Minnesota Academy of Science.

Minnetonka East’s winning team consists of Jacob Lee, Michael Luo, Alex Ren, Addison Shi and Evan Truong, and is coached by Tingting Zhu. The team will represent Minnesota in the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl held in Washington D.C. from April 27 to May 1. Wayzata East Middle School came in second place; Rosemount Middle School came in third place and also won the Science Bowl Civility Award. See full competition results at mnmas.org.  

“I am so proud of these dedicated kids. This is our first year participating in the Science Bowl competition and we didn’t expect to become the Minnesota champions,” said Minnetonka East Coach Tingting Zhu. “Students have worked really hard since last fall in our Math & Science Club, which was newly founded and operated by the students. These self-driven students not only demonstrated their academic knowledge and teamwork but also showed their leadership and inspired younger students to participate.”

Science Bowl is a venue for students to exercise their science and math knowledge while also strengthening their teamwork skills. During Science Bowl, students compete head-to-head in five-person teams to solve technical problems and answer questions in all branches of science and math. The tournament runs in a fast-paced, Q&A format where students race to ring in with their answers first and then work collaboratively on multi-part follow-ups. Each team plays multiple games in a round robin competition, vying to advance to a double-elimination tournament. 

Founded in 1873, the Minnesota Academy of Science is a statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering interest in STEM by sponsoring STEM-education programs and events for students in elementary school through college. The Academy coordinates Science Bowl with the help of more than 40 volunteers and with generous support from organizations including the Minnesota Department of Education, Ecolab, and the Hardenbergh Foundation.